What is lupus?
Lupus is a chronic disturbance through which your body’s immune system attacks tissue and organs.
9 out of 10 people with lupus are women.
Blacks, American and Alaska women have two or three times more chances of developing lupus than white women.
Almost 1 out of 2 people with lupus initially receive incorrect diagnoses
The diagnosis of a lupus can take an average of 5 years because medical help is searched for the first time.
Why is it difficult to diagnose lupus?
Because the symptoms:
- You are temporarily
- You can be easy to heavy
- Several organs and parts of the body influence
- They are not specific, as with fatigue and fever
How is Lupus diagnosed?
There is no specific test that indicates whether you have lupus. Therefore, medical care (HCP) uses a combination of physical examinations and tests to diagnose it.
Physical examination
Your medical provider asks you questions about your symptoms, including:
- fatigue
- Pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints
- Rashes, especially on the face, known as “evening”
- Fever
- Skin lesions
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain
- Fingers made of white or blue feet by stress or cold
- Mouth or dry eyes
- Swell on the legs or around the eyes
- Confusion or forgetting
Laboratory tests
The following blood or urine tests can be carried out:
- Complete blood election (CSC): The levels of red and white, thrombocyte and hemoglobin mirrors could be low if there is lupus.
- Kidney and liver tests: Lupus can influence your kidneys or liver so that these tests can check your operation.
- Erythrocyte -sedimentation speed: A test to determine how quickly the red blood cells fall on the bottom of a test member. A high erythrocyte sedimentation speed could indicate that they have lupus.
- Antibody tests: The antinuclear antibody test (AAN) tries to prove antibodies that attack normal cells. A positive test could indicate that you have lupus.
- Urine analysis: Rate kidney function. A high protein mirror with or without a high mirror of red blood cells in the urine could indicate that lupus attacks the kidneys.
Biopsies
If your laboratory tests show anomaly, your medical supplier can extract some tissues or a cell sample using a procedure (known as biopsy) to identify injuries or inflammation by the immune system.
The most common biopsies for people with lupus come from skin and kidneys.
Imaging
Lupus can affect her lungs and heart. It is therefore advisable that your medical supplier ensures that you carry out the following tests in good condition:
- Thorax X -Rays: Radiation is used to record a picture of your chest, your lungs and your heart. You could have liquids or inflammation in the lungs if the test shows shaded areas.
- Echocardiogram: Sound waves are used to obtain pictures of their beats and to evaluate heart valves. The results could identify a problem with the valves, with the heart muscle or that there is a pericardous spilling, inflammation of the pericardous that surrounds the heart.
The information is the key
Your medical supplier needs as much information as possible about your symptoms and your health to provide a timely and precise diagnosis.
Take care of your health and look for a second opinion when you feel that you don’t listen to you!
Medium
Lupus Foundation of America
This educational resource was created with the support of Glaxosmithklin, Merck and Novartis.
